England Unclear Who They are Playing for?

The England team has landed in team India. But they want to forget the events of the last ten days in a hurry. After all, what team comes into a ‘big match’ series stating that they lost the previous encounter because they were confused about their allegiance – the money or their country?

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This would delight and incite the bookies aplenty. Statements like these make one wonder- who is really at the helm of things. That these words have come from none other than the England coach, Michael Moore, raises even more issues. In this game of money aplenty, the reasons being given for England failing to supercede the Stanford Super Stars have bordered on the bizarre. Were the players really so confused about their national team or about the money that cost them the game? It was said that some of the England players were not sure if they were playing purely for the millions at stake or whether they were representing their country.

If this is the confusion, one would have to wonder how England will approach the series in India. But they are too professional a team to be distracted again or to field such supercilious reasons. Did not the Stanford Superstars, which was basically a West Indies team led by Chris Gayle, know what to do in spite of the poor flood lights, and nature of the pitch? England simply failed to apply themselves and perhaps it could be said that either the money blinded them to the task they had to get done in order to get to it or it was not motivation enough to do what they do best.

If the series itself evoked less than sizeable interest in the rest of the cricket world, the reasons were not only comical, they were downright astonishing. It could be questioned why the series of this nature was scheduled ahead of an important tour to India, but in these days of non stop cricket and highly paid professionals with mega bucks at stake, it is not surprising that not too many players are complaining about it.

It has taken away a little from the glorious start that was made by Kevin Pietersen who was given the reins of England’s captaincy with Michael Vaughan’s abrupt decision to resign in the midst of the series against South Africa. That England were coming hard at the visitors with plans that included a plucked-from-retirement Steve Harmison and a rejuvenated Andrew Flintoff sent higher up the order.

England have a week to regroup from their Caribbean escapade while India are still caught up in a terse battle with Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. That will be something England will be hoping will have taken more out of the Indians even if they go on to win the series and catch them just when the foot has slipped off the accelerator a tad bit. Kevin Pietersen is shrewd enough a man to quickly brief himself on what has needled India against the Australians and where England may just have a bit more in the tank. It will not be easy but England could be thanking Australia before the Ashes if the cues prove vital for the still recovering visitors who were spinning from the money and from the staggering defeat rendered last week on the back of a less than excitable party in the Caribbean.

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England Humbled by Stanford Superstars